Kathmandu, December 11

A rule that makes it mandatory for students pass the MBBS/BDS entrance exam taken by the authorised bodies in Nepal has reduced the number of students opting for medical degree in a foreign country by up to 70 per cent this year.

Nepal Medical Council had drafted a new rule on February 1, 2016, which stated that students who failed the entrance examination — scored less than 50 per cent marks — would not be allowed to go for abroad studies. With this rule, the number of students travelling abroad to get medical degree in 2016 came down dramatically. A report

of Nepal Medical Council showed that a total 1,461 students went abroad to get a medical degree in 2015, while only 478 students went abroad in 2016, after the rule was implemented.

Nepal Medical Council said that they had implemented the rule following a research that showed that around 85 per cent of the students who went abroad for bachelor’s degree in medicine, had failed the entrance examination here in the country before 2015.

Before the rule was implemented, students with 50 per cent marks in high school with science background were allowed to study MBBS or BD abroad.

NMC officials have said they are also working to introduce a rule, which will not allow doctors and students to attended Masters degree programme abroad, without securing 50 per cent marks in the examination taken by authorised government bodies.

The number of students is projected to decreases more drastically in the coming year as 37 medical colleges in Bangladesh recently got black listed. According to an NMC official, more than 80 per cent students choose Bangladesh for bachelors degree in medicine.

Chairman of NMC, Dr Dharmakanta Baskota said, “The 2016 rule, that decreased the number of students by 70 per cent is likely to prevent more students going abroad as many colleges in Bangladesh have now been blacklisted.”

Baskota also said students were attracted more to colleges that had recently been blacklisted.

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